GardeningExpress.co.uk Reviews - 279 Reviews of Gardeningexpress.co.uk

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Top Positive Review

“Excellent plants as described”

Simon T.

12/25/19

Bought 2 Venus fly traps and 2 Pitcher plant fly traps. All 4 plants came well packaged and was as described in description. This is the 2nd time I've bought from gardening express and both times had no issues, will use again.

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Top Critical Review

“Very poor quality plants”

David W.

2/18/20

I was disappointed with the quality of the Michelia Magnolia Fairy White which had obviously had it's main stem snapped off before dispatch, had few leaves for an evergreen on a straggly bare stem with a some sickly yellowish/green leaves on the end, some of which had insect damage.. Very poor quality for £14.97 and no one would have bought it at a garden centre. Their response to my complaint? "I can assure you that your Magnolia is very much alive...." so being alive is their plant quality standard! Avoid.

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Reviews (279)

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David W.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“Very poor quality plants”

February 18th, 2020

Helpful (1)

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George M.

1 review

3 helpful votes

“DO NOT DO IT”

February 5th, 2020

If you are thinking of buying from GardeningExpress.co.uk - do yourself a favour and walk away and spend your money somewhere else. My plants/trees arrived damaged and squashed into inappropriate packaging. Sent photos with my complaint but they kept saying that the photos were not good enough to make a decision. IF YOU GO AHEAD AND USE THIS COMPANY - YOU WILL COME TO REGRET YOUR DECISION. - AS I HAVE

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Albert O.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“Never again”

February 27th, 2019

They promised: "Just to let you know we have it safe in hand and it has been passed to our nursery team. They will carefully select the best plants available for you..".

The photo shows what I received - see the almost leafless plant on the left.

Their response "...our Nursery Manager I would like to assure you, your plants are as we would expect them to be. Please be assured these will continue to grow and thrive so please ensure that you follow the care instructions provided."

In a garden centre, you get to choose your own plant.

Helpful (1)

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susan l.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“"Special deal Helleborous collection of 5"”

January 31st, 2020

Joke?"Specially selected to give you FIVE fantastic plants highly sought colours.
AD photo showed 5 different colours I received 1just bare stems two the same,the rest no resemblance to the photo .After nearly 2 weeksof emails and 2 tickets and 2 lots of photos sent was offered a £5 voucher to becashe in a short time for another plant.Have explainedthat I wantwhat I ordered no reply!
This company is fraudulent stay away.

Helpful (1)

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Steve W.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“I wish I could give NO STARS”

February 12th, 2020

I wish I could give NO STARS!
Avoid Gardening Express at all costs, possibly one of the worst retail experiences I've had. Lovely pictures on their website, but be warned what turns up will take 5-10 year to look in anyway similar. They may as well sent you a packet of seeds! They send everything using Yodel and will require a signature. You'll get no warning, simply a text saying be in tomorrow and await your package. It can't be left in the garden (ironic given thats where it'll end up), wont be left with a neighbour, instead you will need to wait in all day. When you contact customer service, they are completely useless. All they say is, "well your plant arrived, it's not dead, there's nothing more we will do". No real apology, no offer of compensation. I'd run a mile from these guys, plenty more reputable companies out there.

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Jess A.

1 review

2 helpful votes

“Please avoid at all costs!”

December 10th, 2019

Please avoid at all costs! You will most likely be very disappointed. I've attached some images to let you decide for yourselves. Even if they want to argue their case it would all be apparent from the evidence. The state of the plants they sent me were shocking to say the least, plus they were packaged with cello-tape over many delicate leaves. To put simply, out of the 20 plants I ordered (order number in case Gardening express question this review can be provided) less than half were acceptable. I wasn't even sure where to begin when I completed their online form to open a complaint ticket. Having read some of the bad reviews (only after making my purchase) I realised it may be a waste of time and energy to try to rectify it all with them. So all I did was bring up just one of the plants in question to gauge how they respond in these situations, and of course they dismissed it, attempting to just reassure me that the plant was healthy and nothing was wrong. Also, please bare in mind that the images they have on their website is not in any way an accurate representation of what you will receive. It is at least a 60% exaggeration of the level of quality and maturity in reality. Yes some customers may have had a better experience for varying reasons, however it is apparent that this company firstly do not respect the plants the way a garden centre should, and secondly have unacceptable "customer service", and make it challenging for you to question their horticultural department.

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Monica P.

1 review

0 helpful votes

“Bad shopping experience but good plant”

September 3rd, 2019

I am in a bit of a dilemma with regards to this review, as I, like many other customers, didn't have a good shopping experience with Gardening Express, but the plant turned out to be good. Ok, it isn't not as bushy and wide as originally advertised, but not bad at all, appears healthy and well kept. It is a shame, as this company should definitely remove the word Express from their name, as this creates wrong expectations from the start. Also, state boldly that 3-5 days is shipping time, not delivery time. Additionally, it would be good for customers to be able to communicate with a human, as currently there is no helpline or Customer Service in place.

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David S.

4 reviews

1 helpful vote

“So bad. They are con artists, selling snake oil. They send you a baby tree, based upon a false photo”

November 18th, 2019

I bought a palm, which was supposed to have 1.5 ft of trunk. The ones I received were babies and the customer support was appalling and said that the customer can be sent whatever they fancy.

Check photos and decide.

Court case pending from me. Avoid.

Helpful (1)

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kenneth b.

1 review

2 helpful votes

“TERRABLE COMPANY”

April 1st, 2019

Purchased a Campsis Indian Summer - Large Specimen Trumpet Vine
Arrived Dead cannot contact them via emails or telephone just a stupid ticket system.
had no reply off them.
ive bought plants off them over the last 6 years never had no problems
but for some reason its all gone terribly wrong. I'll never buy again from gardening express+++++++++++++++++++++++++
if this is the way i'm going to be treated.

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Jane W.

1 review

4 helpful votes

“Rubbish plants for the money - go elsewhere”

May 19th, 2019

Found plants in crushed box, all taped back up on doorstep. On opening at least 3 of the plants looked like they had been in transit for a long while in plastic bags - humid & drooping. Am hoping that the others may survive with a bit of nurture. Ordered originally as thought it would save time & money, but more like what a waste of time! Don't expect any compensation or remorse from the company so will only go with DON'T BUY FROM THIS COMPANY

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Andrew B.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“Damaged tree”

September 26th, 2019

Ordered a pair of Tuscan Cypress trees. On unpacking one was damaged, in that the leader branch was broken. Immediately emailed Gardeningexpress with pictures, took a week for them to reply (after I chased them) to be told that there was no detrimental damage. Having stated that I was unhappy with this I was told to return them at my cost to get a refund, when all they had to do was send a replacement tree. Rest assured I will not use them again and would strongly advise against anyone else using them.

Helpful (1)

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Simon T.

1 review

0 helpful votes

“Excellent plants as described”

December 25th, 2019

Bought 2 Venus fly traps and 2 Pitcher plant fly traps. All 4 plants came well packaged and was as described in description.

This is the 2nd time I've bought from gardening express and both times had no issues, will use again.

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L G.

1 review

2 helpful votes

“Don't buy from them!!”

June 5th, 2019

Purchased plants from them, one arrived dead, another badly damaged and not by transit and the other half dead. None of the plants matched the online descriptions. Customer service refused to rectify the problem, said they were a little thirsty and to water. 2 weeks on, still no improvement with planting and watering, customer service ignoring my messages. Don't buy from them, not worth the money or the stress.

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john a.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“Express!!!!! You have to be joking. Dreadful”

August 28th, 2019

Absolutely nothing express about this company! Have waited 4 weeks for my order to arrive Complained after 2 weeks that my package label arrived without a parcel attached!!! A new order was dispatched only to arrive a further two weeks later with the plants I had ordered in either dead or completely dried out state unlikely to survive. Customer services couldn't have given a toss.
Absolutely disgusting service and I will be sure to pass my experience on to any one I know who orders online.
Avoid, avoid. avoid.

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Pauline C.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“Exochorda macrantha The Bride £15.95”

September 28th, 2019

Ordered this plant and received a bent twig! I raised a complaint and the response was that if I scraped some skin off it and is was green underneath then it was alive. Really? They then closed my complaint down and marked it as 'resolved'. NO IT WAS NOT RESOLVED. Take my advice readers and do not order from this company. I don't even believe they grow their own plants, I think they are all 'seconds'. Goodbye Gardening Express!

Helpful (1)

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Ellen M.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“Do not buy from this NON express company”

September 4th, 2019

Delivery arrived 26 days after order.... Plants had been 10 days in transit. Some plants missing..... Most of them dead!!!
Repeatedly emailed with photos.... Customer service horrendous..... Very rude.
They are going to refund for dead and missing plants.... I won't hold my breath!!!
Not express and no garden!!

Helpful (1)

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ANNA B.

1 review

2 helpful votes

“Have a little faith- my order was fantastic”

August 25th, 2019

Had genuine concerns following reading some terrible reviews on this site...after I'd placed my order of 2 Cordyline Australis.

I messaged GE and they replied swiftly reassuring me that I would receive my order in excellent condition, and they acknowledged that due to the vast amount of orders they send out each week that some customers on occasion may submit negative reviews.

I have today received my order, I opened the boxes in trepidation and was relieved to discover 2 fantastic trees in great condition.

I would urge anyone concerned to contact them & give them an opportunity to provide you with some reassurance, as I did.

Helpful (2)

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Virginia M.

1 review

2 helpful votes

“Charlatans !”

April 29th, 2019

I ordered a cherry almond tree in January which arrived looking stunted and sick. Despite the utmost care, it failed to thrive and by mid March, I pronounced it dead and contacted the seller. Now, 6 weeks later, they have claimed to have 'lost' five separate emails from me, all with photographs and refuse to speak to me on the phone. Do not touch these crooks with a bargepole ! My trading standards department are now investigating my complaint.

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Jane W.

1 review

1 helpful vote

“If I could award less than one star I would”

July 17th, 2019

The tree they supplied was defective, not in any way as promised (a specimen tree) and at £125 not cheap. I rejected it immediately but they have failed to deal with my complaint - no telephone, long delays in their complex email system. This company has no interest in quality of either goods or service.

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Graeme C.

1 review

2 helpful votes

“Terrible Product and Service”

August 2nd, 2019

Terrible company, ordered 4 cypress pine trees. When they arrived they had been packed into a box that was too short, so in order to get them in the box they had bent the top 12 inches of each tree over. As a result each tree has now started to die. Have tried several times to contact the company but 7 days have gone by and still no response. BEWARE there is no contact number and they do not appear to respond to emails.

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Teresa G.

1 review

2 helpful votes

“Total shysters”

July 26th, 2019

The worst online shopping experience I've ever had! Goods arrived in appalling condition. Gardening Express has NO CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER (a big red flag I missed!) and enquiries/complaints need to be made on their website through their ticket' system - which in my case just meant that my complaint ticket' was read, ignored and stamped RESOLVED. My email got a response that can only be described as sarcastic and passive aggressive (that's you Sam!). No refunds. No returns. No clue.

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Brian H.

1 review

5 helpful votes

“Rubbish plants & delivery”

May 18th, 2019

Plants 5th May & delivered late despite request for update. On arrival today (18th May) found boxes on the doorstep, boxes crushed nearly in half and surprise, surprise when I opened the boxes the plants were crushed too. Having read numerous reviews I do not intend to contact the company but simply get my money back via my credit card. Definitely will NOT recommend them or order again.

Helpful (5)

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Cameron l.

1 review

0 helpful votes

“Awful awful awful”

October 18th, 2019

Was enticed to buy from this company due to reviews on trustpilot of all places!!
Wrong decision.
I was sent 7 plants in 2 litre pots.
1 was completely out of its pot, 1 was snapped so badly it wasn't worth planting and another 1 was dead!!!
Disgusting complaints procedure, can't upload photos to prove complaint and no response to any requests for information or refunds procedure..
Avoid!

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Jayne G.

1 review

0 helpful votes

“Very happy”

December 3rd, 2019

I ordered a pair of evergreen photinia red robin trees x large Christmas tree x 6 mini Christmas trees .... all came up to scotland all as discribed well packaged too Thank you I will be using you again

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K D.

1 review

0 helpful votes

“Rude Customer Service, Poor Quality Plants”

October 19th, 2019

Only ordered twice from GE, first time spent over £150, half the plants /trees ordered were Ok but then found the guarantee involves returning plants at own expense for a refund. As some of my plants (hellebores) had just disintegrated this was not possible anyway. Second order placed (not realising it was same company) and was sent wrong plant along with some ropey looking bulbs. After sending two lots of photos and waiting four days asked why it took so long to resolve (had already waited a long time for the plants and just wanted to get on with planting in a scheme) was told the delay was my fault because I kept contacting them and every time I did it took away from the horticultural team to investigate .. given that only one email was extra to what they'd asked for, I thought it was incredibly unhelpful and rude! Will never order from GE again. Good companies go under, how do companies like this survive?

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123456...12

Q&A (13)

Question:

Ordered, received 5 fruit trees. had coloured tags no info on what fruit tree they are. anyone ordered this package & can tell me? no reply from them.

Answer:

Total rip off merchants, poor quality plants, you are lucky if they are alive when they arrive. No refund, no replacements, no customer service . They need putting out if business

By Maggie G. on 5/25/19

See more answers (4)

Question:

Who is the ceo? all we can find is chris bonnett but no contact email address. it is pointless with the so-called "support" tickets. zero support!

Answer:

In the same boat! No contact details or Twitter account (which is particularly a shame!) but you can find him on LinkedIn under his name. With premium account (free for 1 month if you don't have it) you can directly send him a message. I will do this next, although doubt it will help as the messages are private.... Good luck!

By Maria L. on 10/8/19

Question:

Why won't you send me a live gunnera plant to replace my dead one. you are a rip off company.

Answer:

I rang gardening express on 01245 442511 spoke to a customer service manager on several occasions on this number, you just have to ring and eventually it gets answered as is head office. I got a refund for 4 dead plants but haven't been able to secure refund for the rest of my plants I had complained about,

By ALISON B. on 6/24/19

Question:

Please refund me for an order i never received.

Answer:

I rang gardening express on 01245 442511 spoke to a customer service manager on several occasions on this number, you just have to ring and eventually it gets answered as I believe it's head office. I got a refund for 4 dead plants but haven't been able to secure refund for the rest of my plants I had complained about,

By ALISON B. on 6/24/19

Question:

My order has not arrived, hermes do not have any record of the tracking number, i have no order yet you have taken my hard earned money and it is impo

Answer:

By ALISON B. on 6/24/19

Question:

How come you are still in business. all the plants you sent me were dead or diseased. i wish i had read reviews of your terrible company before

Answer:

By ALISON B. on 6/24/19

Question:

What should i expect hydrangea annabelle to look like at this time of year (mid june) ?

Answer:

By ALISON B. on 6/24/19

Question:

Hi, i would like the refund you offered me. as of yet i have not had the refund. why?

Answer:

By ALISON B. on 6/24/19

Question:

Looking at all the bad reviews you have it doesnt look good for my order 600105820 which l still havent received

Question:

Why haven't i received my plants or any responses to my questions from gardening

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About the business

Gardening centre for garden plants and flowers. The UK's No. 1 Online Specialist in the UK with Hardy plants guaranteed 5yrs

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Chris B.

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GardeningExpress.co.uk

GardeningExpress.co.uk

Overview

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

Critical highlights

“Excellent plants as described”

“Very poor quality plants”

Reviews (279)

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Other

Q&A (13)

Ordered, received 5 fruit trees. had coloured tags no info on what fruit tree they are. anyone ordered this package & can tell me? no reply from them.

Who is the ceo? all we can find is chris bonnett but no contact email address. it is pointless with the so-called "support" tickets. zero support!

Why won't you send me a live gunnera plant to replace my dead one. you are a rip off company.

Please refund me for an order i never received.

My order has not arrived, hermes do not have any record of the tracking number, i have no order yet you have taken my hard earned money and it is impo

How come you are still in business. all the plants you sent me were dead or diseased. i wish i had read reviews of your terrible company before

What should i expect hydrangea annabelle to look like at this time of year (mid june) ?

Hi, i would like the refund you offered me. as of yet i have not had the refund. why?

Looking at all the bad reviews you have it doesnt look good for my order 600105820 which l still havent received

Why haven't i received my plants or any responses to my questions from gardening

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About the business

Company Representative

How do I know I can trust these reviews about GardeningExpress.co.uk?

GardeningExpress.co.uk

GardeningExpress.co.uk

Overview

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

Critical highlights

“Excellent plants as described”

“Very poor quality plants”

Reviews (279)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Q&A (13)

Can’t see your question? Ask to get answers from the GardeningExpress.co.uk staff and other customers.

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About the business

Company Representative

How do I know I can trust these reviews about GardeningExpress.co.uk?

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